A newly released affidavit confirms probable cause for arrest in former “Meet The Press” anchor David Gregory’s illegal gun possession case.
Gregory illegally held up a high-capacity magazine in a 2012 segment about gun control, violating Washington, D.C.’s stringent gun laws and prompting accusations of unfairness from Second Amendment supporters.
NBC News ignored pre-emptive counsel from D.C. Metropolitan Police, which told the network not to perform the stunt. NBC also shut Gregory off for interviews with police after the televised stunt.
A redacted affidavit obtained by Judicial Watch with the help of the conservative blogger William Jacobson reveals NBC’s communications with the police.
“At approximately 4:05 P.M. [December 21, 2012], NBC News Editor [Name Withheld] emailed the Metropolitan Police Department’s [Information Withheld] and stated the following: ‘Meet the Press is interviewing a person on the show this Sunday in studio – Producers for the show would like have a clip [standard or high power], without the ammunition in studio to use on the show. There will be no gun, no bullets, just clips. Is this legal?,'” according to the affidavit.
“No, possession of high capacity magazines is a misdemeanor under Title #7 of the DC code. We would suggest utilizing photographs for their presentation,” the police replied.
NBC’s legal counsel also notified a D.C. detective looking to interview Gregory that such an interview would not be “allowed at this time.”
A police detective put forth an “issuance of an arrest warrant for Gregory, David Michael.”
The D.C. Attorney General did not pursue charges but noted “the clarity of the violation of this important law” and said, “There is no doubt of the gravity of the illegal conduct in this matter.”